Magoosh Hiring Process

We know how daunting and confusing the job search process can be. You submit a resume and don’t receive a response for months and then finally receive a follow-up email. And to be honest, we’ve been guilty of that, but we’re working to improve!

At Magoosh, we value communication. To that end, we want you to know what to expect with our hiring process. The entire process can take as little as a 3 weeks or much longer depending on how quickly you respond, how quickly your references respond, and our internal schedule. Along the way, we’ll do our best to keep you updated. And you should always feel free to reach out to us if you want to know where you stand in the process or what the hold up is! I’ve outlined our general process below.

Step 1a: Application

You apply for one of our open positions on our jobs page. We review your resume and cover letter, looking for signs that you have the experience needed for the position, and more importantly, that you’ve done a little homework about Magoosh. We’ll typically get back to you within 2 weeks and hopefully much faster (unless the position says otherwise).

Step 1b: Intro Call

This step only applies to select in-office positions. If we like what we see in your resume and cover letter, we’ll schedule an intro call with you, likely with the Hiring Manager or our Recruiter. The purpose of the intro call is for us to see if you meet the core requirements for the role, and for you to learn more about Magoosh and the position. Before we ask you to tackle our questionnaire, we want to make sure you have a good understanding of what we’re looking for and that you’re still interested, hopefully excited! The call usually takes about 30 minutes.

Step 2: Questionnaire

Next, we’ll send you a questionnaire with some sample tasks and questions related to the role and to Magoosh. These questionnaires can take an average of 3 to 4 hours, depending on the position. The questionnaire is also a great opportunity for you to get a sense of what type of work you might be doing in the role. If you’re not excited about completing the questionnaire, you likely won’t be excited about the position—and that’s definitely okay! Just let us know that the position isn’t for you. Hiring is about finding a mutual fit.

In an effort to treat candidates as fairly as possible, we grade each questionnaire blind against our rubric. This just means the Hiring Manager won’t know whose questionnaire they’re grading, and at this stage, you’re assessed solely on the quality of your work. We recognize the investment our candidates put in at this stage of our process. We value that investment and want to make sure we’re pulling our weight! We grade each questionnaire carefully and thoughtfully, often with more than one grader to ensure fairness. Once you complete the questionnaire, we’ll typically respond within a week.

Step 3: Phone interview

Assuming there’s a mutual fit after the questionnaire, we’ll move on to the phone interview (think of it as a mini-interview for both of us)! The phone interviews usually last about 60 minutes during which we’ll ask questions to gauge your fit for the role and how you might add to our culture and values. And you’ll also have the chance to ask us about the role and about Magoosh. We’ve definitely had applicants decide Magoosh isn’t for them after phone interviews, and that’s also okay! Again, for us and ideally for you, this process is about finding a mutual fit. This is the last step in our process for remote positions.

Step 4: In-person interview

This step only applies to in-office positions. You’ll typically have three to five interviews over a 4-to-6 hour period.

One or two competency interviews: You’ll take on more sample tasks that you would do in the position. We also may ask you how you would think through some challenges we’re currently facing.

One or two culture interviews: The purpose of these interviews is to see if we share the same values in how we approach work. Here’s a guide that will help you prepare for our in-person culture interview.

Reverse interview: This is an opportunity for you to ask questions to another Magoosher about what it’s like to work at Magoosh (e.g. What are typical hours like? What do you like most about working here? What do you like least about working here?). We’ll try to pair you with someone who has either been in a similar position or has the same manager as you would have.

After the in-person interview, we’ll typically get back to you within 2 weeks, many times sooner.

Step 5: Reference and background checks

This step only applies to in-office positions. After the in-person interview, we do reference and background checks. This is the last step in our process for in-office positions. For the background check we want to make sure you are who you say you are. For reference checks, we want to talk with people who have worked with you before so we can learn more about you from someone else’s perspective.These take about 1 week. If we make you an offer after the reference and background checks, we’ll ask you to get back to us within 1-2 weeks.

For remote positions, the entire process takes about 2-3 weeks and for in-office positions, it’s about 5-7 weeks. We’ve also had applicants make it through much faster for both, so it really depends. 🙂

Magoosh is a play on the Persian word "magush", one who is highly-learned, wise, and generous.

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